Ghana Premier League deal in danger as red flag is raised over brokerâ€™s legality

By Ameenu Shardow, follow on Twitter @alooameenu

The new mega-dollar sponsorship deal for the Ghana Premier League is in danger following allegations the agency that brokered the deal acted beyondÂ itâ€™s permitted mandate.

But some clubs have rubbished the claim by legal practitioner Ras Tetteh Wayo insisting they are interested in the deal as he sat quietly when they were suffering without sponsorship.

UniexÂ Ghana Limited helped secure a $10m deal which sees First Capital Plus Bank become the headline sponsors of the Ghanaian top flight.

The Ghana Premier League will be paid an annual amount of $2m for the next fiveÂ years accordingÂ to the dictates of the agreement signed with the Ghana FA.

The landmark deal is however in jeopardy as it has emerged that Uniex Ghana Limited â€“ the agency that helped broker the deal â€“ was actingÂ beyondÂ its registered mandate.

UniexÂ â€“ incorporated and opened operations in 1994 - is registered as an agency whose function includes; importers and exporters of general goods,Â agroÂ and aquatic farming and processing, real estate developments and information systems.

ThereÂ however appearÂ to be inconsistencies of the agencyâ€™s core mandates and its function as the agency responsible for brokering sponsorship deal for the Premier League for which it is alleged to have profited by 25 percent of the total amount.

This therefore could be a violation of the company law in Ghana which could see the mega deal for the Premier League cancelled if proven so.

â€œWell, if it is true that the agency was actingÂ beyoundÂ its coreÂ mandate thenÂ yes, the deal can be abrogated,â€ Legal Practitioner Ras Tetteh Wayo told Metro FM.

â€œCompanies are registered to carry out a particular function and should be seen to be doing so.

â€œIf the company so wishes to venture into other areas then it must notify the authorities so that its license will be amended to cover its intended function.

â€œBut if this is not done and the company goes ahead to perform certain functions that are not consistent with its core mandate then I am afraid that saidÂ companyÂ may have acted ultra-vires which could warrant a cancellation.

â€œSo in this case of the Ghana Premier League sponsorship, if such a case of acting ultra-viresÂ is proven thenÂ I am afraid depending on the dictates of the contract, certain agreements and the laws of Ghana, the sponsorship deal can be cancelled in its entirety.â€

First Capital Bank has already paid $500,000 to the Premier League as the first tranche of the sponsorship deal with the Ghana FA.

Meanwhile, some clubs in have rubbished the claim by lawyer insisting they are satisfied with the deal brokered by Uniex.

"They sit down to claims legalities and will not support us in anyway when we were suffering. Now that we have got a good deal they come up with this flimsy reason," a leading club official who pleaded anonymity told GHANAsoccernet.com.

"If he doesn't want this deal then he should bring us a sponsor. This silly talk should stop. This is why people will not be interested in helping us."